An MBA with a focus in real estate can help hone your skills across development, property law, and market analysis. In recent years, I have worked with architects, sustainable development experts, and those who did real estate on the side looking for an MBA program to hone their real estate skills. Those graduating with a focus in real estate might go on to work as a real estate or community developer, at a construction company as a project manager, or at commercial real estate lenders or investors.
Here are some MBA programs that should be on your radar if you are interested in real estate:
UC Berkeley Haas
Haas’s Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics is one of the nation’s leading real estate research outreach centers. Real estate is an area of concentration at Haas, which offers coursework on development, finance, and planning. Through the Fisher Center, you may take a class with Ken Rosen or Nancy Wallace, renowned professors and researchers in real estate. While a student, you could get involved in the Berkeley Real Estate Club or Accelerating Careers in Real Estate. And although Haas doesn’t host its own real estate competitions, you might be on a team to compete against Stanford for the Golden Shovel (Haas won in 2023) or UT Austin’s National Real Estate Challenge. At Haas, 3% of graduating students entered real estate in 2024.
Wharton
Wharton promotes excellence in real estate education and research. The school’s real estate major requires courses in real estate development and finance, and the program offers a choice of three electives across a wide range of real estate topics. Through the major, you might take a class with Joseph Gyourko or Susan Wachter. The Wharton Real Estate Club offers training in ARGUS and financial modeling as well as a large array of networking opportunities and speakers. Students compete in the ULI Hines Student Competition and UT Austin’s National Real Estate Challenge. At Wharton, 2% of interns and 1.6% of graduating students entered the real estate industry most recently.
Columbia Business School
Columbia’s Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate offers an innovative, industry-led curriculum in the global capital market of New York. At Columbia, students begin taking real estate electives, such as “Real Estate Development” and “Real Estate Transactions,” in their second semester. Through the Milstein Center, you might do research or take a course with Tomasz Piskorski or Christopher Mayer. Columbia’s Real Estate Association holds educational and networking events as well as local and international study trips. Teams from REA compete in the Kellogg Real Estate Venture Competition, UNC’s Real Estate Development Challenge, MIT’s The CASE real estate competition, and UT Austin’s National Real Estate Challenge. At Columbia, 2.5% of graduating students and 3.7% of interns entered real estate in 2024.
NYU Stern
Stern’s Chao-Hon Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance and Marron Institute of Urban Management provide cutting-edge opportunities for students to study and design real estate solutions in the heart of New York City. Stern’s real estate specialization provides training in financing, development, and investment of real estate projects. You might take courses such as “Real Estate Development and Entrepreneurship” or “Real Estate Investment Strategies.” The Chen Institute offers both Executive-in-Residence and Career Mentor programs, leveraging its prime location in NYC. In addition, the Chen Institute hosts such events as the Private Capital Strategies Symposium and the Apartment Finance and Investment Summit. At Stern, 1.7% of interns from the Class of 2025 and 1.3% of Class of 2024 graduates went into real estate. NYU also offers an MS in Real Estate Development.
UNC Kenan-Flagler
Through UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies, historically 10–12% of students have completed a real estate concentration. Graduates have gone on to work in corporate real estate and real estate investment trusts as well as traditional industries such as asset management and finance. Notable faculty members include David Hartzell, who teaches courses covering real estate finance. At Kenan-Flagler, you might aim to act as a manager of the Kenan-Flagler Business School Foundation Real Estate Fund or participate in the UNC MBA Real Estate Club, which offers a wide range of programming. In 2024, 9% of Kenan-Flagler’s graduating students went into the real estate industry—the highest of any top MBA program.
UCLA Anderson
Anderson’s Ziman Center for Real Estate provides thought leadership in real estate. The school’s Real Estate Career Path offers electives including “Real Estate Law and Taxation” and “Entrepreneurial Real Estate Development.” Your Applied Management Research project might involve evaluating real estate investments or creating business plans for development opportunities. Through the Association for Real Estate at Anderson, you might participate in the NAIOP LA Real Estate Challenge or UT Austin’s National Real Estate Challenge and network for career opportunities. At Anderson, 2.4% of the Class of 2024 entered real estate.
UT Austin McCombs
The McCombs Real Estate Center offers a real estate concentration with electives in real estate finance, investments, and development. Through the Graduate Real Estate Society (GRES), you might participate in the Real Estate Investment Fund or the National Real Estate Challenge. GRES students have also participated in the ULI Hines Student Competition, the UNC Real Estate Development Challenge, the North Texas NAIOP Competition, and the Kellogg and Harvard Real Estate Venture Competitions. You might take classes with Greg Hallman or Julia Coronado. At McCombs, 3% of the Class of 2024 entered real estate.
Wisconsin School of Business
The James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business supports the full-time MBA’s specialization in real estate. There are four tracks available: Commercial Real Estate Development, Affordable and Sustainable Housing Development, Applied Real Estate Investment, and Private Equity. The Graaskamp Center also offers an MS in Real Estate and a Global Real Estate Master degree. At Wisconsin, you might join the UW Real Estate Club or Women in Real Estate, and you might conduct research with Yongheng Deng.
Northwestern Kellogg
Kellogg’s Guthrie Center for Real Estate Research supports the school’s Real Estate Pathway. It also hosts the Kellogg Real Estate Conference and Venture Competition each year and supports the Real Estate Club. At Kellogg, 1–2% of graduates have entered real estate post-graduation in the past few years.
Other Real Estate Degree Options
In addition, the following schools offer master’s degrees in real estate:
- Cornell Johnson’s Master’s in Real Estate
- USC Price’s Dollinger Master of Real Estate Development
- MIT’s Master of Science in Real Estate Development
There are many opportunities through both MBA and master’s programs to gather insight, network, and gain practical experience in the world of real estate. Reach out to current students at each program to see which one is right for you!
For more guidance on planning your journey into real estate via an MBA or master’s program, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with a Stratus admissions expert today!